Corded SDS-Plus Drills

A corded SDS-Plus drill is still the best value route into proper masonry drilling. Plug it in and you get consistent hammer power all day with no batteries to charge, no fade as cells run down, and usually a lower price than the cordless equivalent. For anyone who mostly works near a power supply, or who wants a capable SDS machine in the van or garage without buying into a battery platform, corded remains hard to beat.

All of these machines take standard SDS-Plus bits and chisels, and most give you three modes: rotary drilling for wood and steel (often via a supplied chuck adaptor), hammer drilling for brick, block and concrete, and a rotation-stop chiselling mode for chasing walls, lifting tiles and light breaking. Motors here range from around 650w budget DIY units up to 1500w professional machines, and many are available in 110v for site use as well as 240v for domestic supply.

As with any rotary hammer, the number that matters most is impact energy in joules. Entry-level DIY tools around 1.5 to 2.2 J are fine for shelf fixings, fence brackets and the odd hole in concrete. Trade machines in the 2.5 to 5 J band drill faster, take bigger diameters and shrug off daily use. If you regularly drill over 26mm or spend hours chiselling, step up to an SDS-Max machine instead.

We list 36 corded SDS-Plus drills from Black and Decker, Bosch, DeWalt, Draper, Einhell, Makita, Olympia and Sealey, priced from around £65 to £629. Each product page explains what the tool is good at, what is in the box, and where it falls short, so you can buy once and buy right.